High Court postpones Judicial Selection Committee hearing

The High Court of Justice cancels a key hearing on petitions against Justice Minister Yariv Levin’s months-long refusal to convene the Judicial Selection Committee, following Levin’s announcement on Sunday that he intends to convene the committee within 15 days.

The court says Levin must provide an update on the situation by November 23, by which time the committee should have been convened if the justice minister makes good on his promise.

A new date will be set for a hearing “if necessary” at a later time, the court adds.

Levin has refused for months to convene the Judicial Selection Committee in order to give himself time to change its composition and grant the government greater control over the panel.

A court hearing on the petitions against him was scheduled for November 12, but on Sunday Levin said he would convene the committee within 15 days to propose judicial appointments which could be made with a broad consensus on the panel.

There are currently over 20 empty seats on court benches around the country, and that number will rise to 53 by the end of the year.

Petitioners have argued that Levin’s behavior is an illegal abuse of authority that would give him a de facto veto over all judicial appointments, but Levin has argued that only he can decided when to convene the committee and that court has no authority to intervene.